Impression stamp



0. E. SONNE, R. W. PROCTOR, AND A. E. MILLER.

IMPRESSION STAMP.

APPLiCATlON FILED AUG,1, 1921.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922 ENT OFFICE.

. :OTWEN E. SONN'E, 0F BEERESA, RUSSELL W. PROCTOR, OF DAVIS, AND ARTHUR E. v .MILLER, OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA,

IMPRESSION STAMP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OWEN E. SoNNE, RUssnLL N. Pnooron, and ARTHUR E. MIL4 LER, citizens of the United States, residing as follows: said SoNNn and MILLER residing, respectively, at Represa and Sacramento, in the county of Sacramento, and said PRooToR residing at Davis, in the county of Yolo, all in the State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Impression Stamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to presses or stamps for impressing or embossing an indicating design upon paper and the like, and has particular reference to the provision of a pair -of improved die members so arrangedas to contact simultaneously with the work placed therebetween to form the desired impression.

An object of this invention is to provide a deviceof this character comprising a pair of coacting die members, each provided with a fixed impression surface and a movable impression surface capable of adjustment with respect to the fixed surface, for selectively indicating different characters, amounts, dates and the like, and to provide means for insuring the proper positioning of the movable surface with respect to an indicating mark made by the fixed die surface.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device of the above mentioned character capable of use for impressing upon a check or other monetary instrument the design of peculiar characteristics set forth in our copending application Serial Number 486, l06, filed July 21, 1921, to indicate the value of the instrument and to further indicate whether or not the same has been altered from its true amount.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device of the above mentioned character that, is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, convenient in use and strong and durable. I v

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specificationand in which like;

numerals are employed to designate like parts"throughout the several views, I I

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view through a press embodying our invention showing the die members in separated position, i v

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line'2 2 of Fig.1,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 1, 1921.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

Serial No. 488,911.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental view of a check or other paper impressed with our device,

Fig. at is a perspective view of the plunger cap, and,

Fig. 5 is a fraginental the indicating notch. Referring to the ClItlWiIlgS,-Wl1G16lIl for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred example of our invention, the numeral ,6 designates the base or body of our improved press having atone side thereof an uprighu shaft 7 on which is rotatably mounted a pinion 8. A suitable longitudinal opening is provided in the base, and inserted within said opening are a pair of coasting die members, one of said die members being disposed in the upper portion and the other die member being disposed in the lower portion thereof. The said die members are formed with any desired wording or symbols, the markings being embossed on the male die and depressed in the face of the femaledie for intermeshing engagement when impressing a sheet of paper inserted between the members.

he lower die member comprises a central stationary die 9 provided with a downwardlytapered outer edge, and an outer rotatable surface or annulus '10 having a tapered'inner edge and provided on its periphery with gear teeth 11, meshing with the pinion 8. The central die surface 9 is rigidly secured to the base by a suitable fastening means 12 while the outer rotatable die surface is free to rotate about the stationary central die surface but is held against vertical displacement by reason of the tapered edge of the central die surface 9, and the corresponding taper of the inner edge .of the annular die surface 10.

The upper die member likewise comprises a fixed central die surface 13 having an up wardly tapered outer edge, and an outer rotatable die surface or annulus 14 having a tapered inner edge and provided onqits periphery with gear teeth 15. meshing. with pinion 8. By reason of the upwardly t'a-. pe'red edge ofthefixed die surface 13and plan view showing the corresponding taper of the inner edge of the annulusl l, the: latter is free to rotate about the central die surface but is held against vertical displacement. Thisnpper die member is secured, toaplunger 16 which is vertically reciprocable to bring the upper die member'into intermeshing engagement drawn.

with the lower die member. Arranged with in sockets at diametrically opposite sides of the" reciprocating plunger {are a pair of spiral compression springs 17 which exert upward pressure on the ears 18 of the plunger cap 19 to normally hold the coacting die members out of contact. An operating handle 20 is pivotally connected to the body 6 of the press as shown at 21 and is, provided with a cam surface contacting with the lunger cap 19. It is thus obvious that a ownward movement of the handle 20 about its, pivot 21 will impart a downward movement to the plunger 16 and will force the, upper die member into intermeshing engagement with the lower die member and that upon the releasing of the handle, the springs 17 will serve to raise the upper die member out of engagement, leaving a sufficient space bet-ween the die members for the insertion of the paper upon which the impression is to be made.

The rotatable die surface 14 of the upper reciprocating die member has stamped or otherwise placed on the upper surface thereof a series of characters, numerals or the like corresponding to those on the lower side of the die surface. Any rotation of the annular die surface 14 will cause a rotation of thepinion 8 about its shaft 7 and this rotation will be imparted to the companion r0- tatable die surface 10 of the lower die memher so that the two rotatable die surfaces move in unison. To enable one to quickly and accurately determine the relative position of the characters carried by the rotatable die surfaces with respect to the indicating mark 22 forming a part of the impression made by the non-rotatable die surfaces, we providea sight opening or notch 23 through which each separate character on the upper side of the rotatable die surface 14: may be readily seen. To insure the proper positioning of the characters on the rotatable die surfaces with the indicating mark 22, a

spring pressed ball or ratchet 24 is radially arranged with respect to the pinion 8 and enters the space between the teeth thereon so that the selected character is always properly aligned or centered with respect to the indicating notch 22 and sight opening 23.

In the accompanying drawings, we have illustrated the shank constructed to impress upon a check or other monetary instrument a design of peculiar characteristics,this design to overlie a portion of the signature of the drawer of the instrument and to entirely overlie the numerals on the instrument which indicate the amolmt for which it is I One of the fixed surfaces 9 or 18 is provided with a male die and the other with a female die, the dies bearing a suitable design such as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and being further provided with means for embossing or depressing the. indicating mark 22 upon the surface of the paper. One of the movable die surfaces 10 or 14 is provided with a male die and the other with a female die, the dies bearing a series of arbitrary numerals or thelike which are associated with the design of the fixed die surfaces in such a manner as to form a code which may or may not be secret, which when the impression is made on the paper will indicate at once the value of the paper and will further indicate whether or not the same has been altered from its true amount. In order to selectively associate a particular numeral in proper re lation to the indicating mark 22 on the central die surfaces to indicate the amount for which the paper is drawn, it is merely neces sary to rotate either the rotatable die sur faces 10 or- 14 until the desired character appears at the sight opening 23. This rotation of either rotatable surface causes a corresponding movement of the other so that the entire die assembly is in proper position for impressing the paper. The paper isthen inserted between the die members and adownward movement of the handle 20 makes the desired impression on the paper as shown in Fig. It is to be noted that the term ;-upper die member is used to designate that portion of the stamp formed by the fixed part 13 and the movable part 14, and the term lower die member is used to desig- Hate. the corresponding fixed and movable parts 9 and 10.

While we have chosen to illustrate our stamp made to impress an improved design upon checks or other monetary instruments for preventing the fraudulent raising of the same, this invention is by no means limited to this specific use.

In short the device is capable of use in any instance where stationary and; movable dies are required to. impress a mark upon paper or the like, one portion of thedies remaining constant while the other portion is capable of adjustment with respect to the constant portion for selectively indicating varying: amounts, dates, quantities and the li c.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and. arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure. by Let-ters'Patent is 1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a pair of coacting die members each comprising a fixed impression surface and a movable impression surface, and means for forcing said members into intermeshing relation.

2. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a pair of coacting die members each comprising a stationary die surface and a movable die surface, means for transmitting the movement of either movable die surface to its companion movable die surface, and means for forcing the die members into intermeshing relation.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of adjacent coacting die members, each comprising a fixed section and a movable section, an indicating mark carried by the fixed sections, and means for indicating the relative position of the movable sections with respect to the indicating mark.

4. A device of the character described comprising a base, a pair of movable c0- acting die surfaces, a stationary indicating mark, a series of index characters on one of the movable dies corresponding to the impression characters on the movable die surfaces, and an indicating opening in the base through which the index characters may be viewed for the proper positioning of the impression characters with respect to the indicating mark.

5. A device of the character described comprising a base, a rotatable pinion journaled in the base; a pair of movable coacting die surfaces provided with teeth meshing with the pinion whereby movement of one die surface imparts a corresponding movement of the companion die surface, a series to index characters on one side of one of the movable die surfaces corresponding to the impression characters on said movable surfaces, a stationary fixed indicating mark, and an indicating opening in the base through which the index characters may be viewed for the proper positioning of the impression characters on the movable die surfaces with respect to the fixed indicating mark.

6. A device of the character described comprising a pair of coacting impression .members each comprising a central disk whose periphery decreases in diameter from ,the impression surface to form a tapered outer edge, and an annular die section whose width increases from the impression surface to form an internal taper which corresponds to the taper of the central section, whereby the two concentric die surfaces are held in the proper plane but are free to rotate with respect to each other.

7. A device of the character described.

comprising a pair of normally spaced co acting impression members each comprising a central non-rotatable section and an outer rotatable annular section, means for normally maintaining the members in spaced relation, and an operating handle for forcing said members into intermeshing relation to impress a sheet placed therebetween.

8. A device of the character described comprising a pair of coacting impression die members each comprising a central nonrotatable section for making a suitable impression including an indicating mark and an outer rotatable annular die section carrying a series of arbitrary characters an one of which may be associated with the indicating mark, means for indicating the relative position of the individual characters with respect to the mark, and means for forcing the die members into intermeshing relation to impress a sheet placed therebetween.

9. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of normally spaced coacting die members, each comprising a central non-rotatable section for making a suitable impression including an indicating mark, and an outer rotatable annular die section carrying a series of arbitrary characters any one of which may be associated with the indicating mark; means for transmitting the movement of either rotatable section to the other rotatable section to associate a desired character with the indicating mark; and means for insuring the pro-per alignment of the selected character with the indicating mark,

10. A device of the character described comprising a base, a pinion rotatably journaled in said base, a pair of coacting movable die surfaces carrying a series of arbitrary characters and provided with teeth meshing with the pinion whereby movement of either die surface imparts a corresponding movement to its companion surfaces, an indicating mark with which any character on the movable die surfaces may be associated, and a ratchet engaging the pinion to control the movement of the same to insure the proper alignment of the selected character with the indicating mark.

in testimony whereof we hereunto afiix ur signatures. 

